After years of Covid restrictions, Johannesburg's nightlife is rebounding with vibrant events and a new jazz venue. Writer Laurice Taitz-Buntman explores the city's after-dark energy, from raves in Newtown to the elegant launch of Hugh’s in Braamfontein. She argues for dedicated urban planning to support this nocturnal revival.
Laurice Taitz-Buntman, founder of Johannesburg In Your Pocket, has long been drawn to the transformative energy of cities at night, inspired by Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks painting from her youth. Her late brother, an architecture student at Wits, introduced her to such art through a shared book on modern artists.
As editor of Sunday Times Lifestyle, Taitz-Buntman once commissioned essays capturing Johannesburg after dark, emphasizing that a city extends beyond sunset. The Covid-19 pandemic silenced this scene, confining residents to suburbs and evoking the lyric “We’ve lost dancing” amid isolation and virtual DJ sets on YouTube.
Post-lockdown, Taitz-Buntman re-entered the night, starting with an Uber ride to The Untitled Basement in Braamfontein, where hesitant drivers highlighted lingering safety concerns. There, pulsing music signaled life's return, followed by the Vogue Night Ball in Troyeville, which felt like emerging from an apocalyptic haze.
Recently, she immersed herself again: a Friday at Sheer City rave in Newtown, drawing diverse crowds from art-fair artists to Brixton street crews until 6am; a Saturday rooftop party in Braamfontein with festival-level DJs; and the black-tie opening of Hugh’s, a new jazz club restoring live music elegantly.
Newtown thrives as an unacknowledged nightlife hub, its warehouses ideal for late-night sounds without resident complaints. A Birdhaven club caters to suburban women dancing from 5.30pm to 9pm weekly, fulfilling needs for movement and connection.
Taitz-Buntman questions if Johannesburg fully appreciates this potential, proposing a “night-time mayor” to address lighting, transport, safety, and cultural intersections after dark. Her anthem, “Last night a DJ saved my life,” captures the exhilaration.